“It was one of those awkward challenges, a 50-50 ball, and looking back on it now I shouldn’t have gone in [to the challenge]. Looking at it now I was actually the one who went in late on the tackle, so there was no malice in the challenge from either player, I just came out on the wrong side of the tackle.”

Pontius’s three assists led to a hat trick by Charlie Davies, who was named MLS player of the week — the fourth time in six weeks that a United player has been so honored (Dwayne De Rosario twice, Pontius once).

*United is unlikely to make any moves before the MLS roster deadline Thursday, General Manager Dave Kasper said. “We had some players identified in the last week or two, but nothing is imminent at this point.”

For additional notes.....

*Midfielder Clyde Simms, who departed Saturday’s match at halftime with vision problems, is sampling different eyewear — both contact lenses and sports glasses — in order to be available for this weekend’s game at Seattle (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet/DC). Simms was having trouble adjusting to glare and light after undergoing laser eye surgery.

*At 34 points, United is sitting in the final wild-card playoff slot, 10th overall, which at the moment, would mean a first-round match at Real Salt Lake. However, taking when into account that the club has played the fewest matches in MLS, United would jump two slots in the Eastern Conference to third place based on points per game (good enough to secure an automatic postseason berth). The key now is to take advantage of those extra games and surge ahead of Houston and Philadelphia.

Steven Goff has covered soccer for The Washington Post since the early 1990s. His beats include D.C. United, MLS and the U.S. national teams. He has been on assignment at every World Cup since 1994, plus four Women's World Cups.